Directed by Steven Spielberg

Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance

I honestly went into this film with some hope. Because I was never really convinced by it in the first place. You see, at first all I saw was an ad. Based on a book by Ernest Cline, which was full of references as you can imagine and can refer from the trailer, all of the promotional material just made this seem down for me. Spielberg is a film master of course, but this just seemed like a sell out kind of film. Adverts a plenty, but nevertheless I went in with an open mind but came out strongly disappointed and shocked. Because yes, this film is an out right sell out. 

Set in the year 2045, Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) explores a virtual world called the Oasis where dreams become a reality. Everyone plays in the Oasis, and when the creator (Mark Rylance) dies and leaves behind an easter egg that will grant ownership of the Oasis to it's founder, everyone begins a massive hunt for the egg, including Wade who runs into a corporate menace that plan to turn the Oasis into an advertising haven.

'An advertising haven.' The sad reality of this film is that it is just that. The villain's plot is literally to advertise, and I see a similarity here with Spielberg's plans for the film. Adverts are all over this film, whether it's for a game, a film, a soft drink or a song. Now, I think that advertising can be good for a struggling filmmaker, but this is so obnoxious and arrogant of Spielberg. I feel like he knows what he wants to adapt from the source material so he can get these properties advertised to make an extra buck. And to say that this is what the villain intends to do in this story just makes this film all the more hypocritical. A message that the movie presents is to not sell out. But that's exactly what this film does. I know that some people won't see it that way, and instead they'll be going 'Hey look it's Spawn, remember Spawn?' But if you actually look into the film and analyse it's pretty awful writing, you will see it for the sell out it is. And even at the end, the characters sell out anyway? Eh?

And the film itself? I'll admit. I liked the technical side. The visuals do look like a video game, and it feels quite immersive. The cinematography is also pretty nice, and it goes very well hand in hand with some of the action. I may be giving Spielberg a lot of crap but I do really like his attention to the technical aspects. But unfortunately that's not enough to save it. The characters are atrocious. Sheridan is normally really good but I couldn't get behind his character. The lack of world building outside the Oasis doesn't help me want to like these characters at all, and Wade is such an unlikable person. He has such an ignorant personality and the fact he's a bit of sleaze who doesn't care for his family outside the Oasis makes him really despicable, and the supporting cast are just either annoying or unlikeable due to their lack of development. Other than Ben Mendelsohn who is... alright? The writing for these characters is naff and it's hard to follow them through this over two hour runtime.

And don't get me started on The Shining sequence. Call me a butt hurt fanboy but the film has a sequence dedicated to Stanley Kubrick's The Shining and it just ruined everything that that movie was for me. It becomes a comedy, and forgets everything that The Shining was about... with some awfully done cringe worthy lines that made me bring this film's score down a whole lot. And I feel that that is epitome of Ready Player One. There's just no substance, only constant, awfully written in references and cameos that don't do anything for the world or the story but to appease fans who want to see an Orc shoot Duke Nukem with a Halo assault rifle. Some of you may like that, but I came to see what may have been a good concept for a good movie. And now, Spielberg is counting my £12 with a big smirk on his face. Well, can't knock it if you don't try it right?

3/10